R
The letter R is very difficult for many French learners. It has nothing at all in common with the English R or the Spanish R, so it's helpful to think of it as a completely different letter. Mistakes and Difficulties
French Mistakes and Difficulties
Erreurs, fautes, méprises, difficultés
Improve your French by looking out for and learning how to avoid some common French mistakes.
The letter R is very difficult for many French learners. It has nothing at all in common with the English R or the Spanish R, so it's helpful to think of it as a completely different letter. Rapporter, redonner, rembourser…
Why does French have so many different translations for "to return"? Because this English verb has so many different meanings! The trick to knowing which one to use is to learn another way to say "return" in each situation. Relative Pronouns
Relative pronouns are connectors - they link relative clauses to main clauses so that you don't have to repeat subjects and objects. There are five French relative pronouns: dont, lequel, où, que, and qui, which are equivalent to seven English relative pronouns and adverbs: that, when, where, which, who, whom, and whose. B1 - Intermediate French • pronouns
Rhythm
The rhythm of French is what makes it such a beautiful language. Thanks to liaisons and enchaînement, French words flow one into the next, and there is no stress on any particular syllable within each word. All of this combines to give French a certain musicality that sets it apart from other languages. B2 - Upper-Intermediate French
Savoir vs Connaître (and Ignorer)
Do you know how to say "know" in French? There are two verbs with distinct meanings, and just to keep things interesting, there are also two overlapping meanings. Confused? After you read this lesson, you'll know all you need to know. A2 - Low-Intermediate French • synonyms • verbs
Semi-Auxiliary Verbs: Word Order
It's very common to have two verbs in a row in both English and French, as in J'aime danser. The word order can get very complicated when additional grammatical structures like object pronouns and negation are introduced. negation • pronouns • verbs • word order
Si Clauses: Conditionals
Si clauses, also known as conditionals or conditional sentences, are if-then constructions that express a condition to be met in order for a certain result. They are divided into three types, depending on whether the condition is likely, unlikely, or impossible. B1 - Intermediate French • lesson plans • verbs • word order
Silent Letters
French has a lot of silent letters, which can make pronunciation and spelling exasperating—at least until you learn the rules and patterns to these sneaky non-sounds. A2 - Low-Intermediate French • spelling
Singular Nouns
While most nouns, in both French and English, can be singular or plural, some can only be one or the other - and dozens of these don't "match up" in the two languages. The nouns on this page are singular in French but plural in English. Soi – Stressed Pronoun
The third person indefinite stressed pronoun soi doesn't have a straightforward English equivalent, so French students often confuse it with lui. Speedy Spoken French
C1 - Advanced French • informalities
Spelling Change Verbs -cer -ger
French verbs that end in -cer or -ger require a small spelling change in certain conjugations. For the most part, these verbs are conjugated just like regular -er verbs, other than a little problem in some conjugations that must be corrected for reasons of pronunciation. It's easy enough to do, once you understand why and how. A1 - Beginning French • conjugation lessons • spelling
Stem-Changing Verbs -e_er -é_er -yer
Stem-changing verbs, also known as "shoe verbs" or "boot verbs," take the same conjugation endings as regular -er verbs, but have two different verb stems depending on the grammatical person the verb is conjugated for. A1 - Beginning French • conjugation lessons • spelling
Subjunctive
The French subjunctive is a special verb form, called a "mood," that is used in dependent clauses to indicate some sort of subjectivity, uncertainty, or unreality in the mind of the speaker. B1 - Intermediate French • lesson plans • tenses moods voices
Superlative Subjunctive
The subjunctive is optional with limits and superlatives: it depends on whether the speaker knows whether what s/he is saying is true. 
Jouer is a regular -er French verb that can be a bit confusing when it comes time to decide which preposition should follow. Here's everything you need to know.
The French lessons and comprehension exercises on this site are ranked according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), which describes six levels of language proficiency.
When a word ending in a normally silent consonant is followed by a vowel or h muet, that consonant might be transferred onto the next word. This is called a liaison and it's one of the aspects of French pronunciation that can make it difficult to determine where one word ends and the next begins.